"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." ~ E. L. Doctorow, (1931-2015), described as one of the most important American novelists of the 20th century.

I can't always be sure why my daily episodes end up being a little less than what I would hope for. Maybe it's an overhang of tiredness from all that's been going on. Maybe the gray cells have a cold. You know. They become thick, like syrup left out in the cold. Worst of all, maybe I am beginning to run out of material. I know what some of you are thinking. I've never let the lack of material slow me down before. I can assure you it is not from a lack of trying. Let's see if we can muck our way through this dry spell. Hello and welcome to Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Okay. I am curious. I saw the commercials for the movie 'Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice' and wondered why they would be fighting each other. I don't intend on seeing the movie but I did want to know. I found a fellow on the internet who had written three pages about the movie. Oh, my word! While I did find out the reason for the feud I was not prepared to read an assessment from someone who obviously is obsessed with any and everything that pertains to comic book superheroes. He thought the movie was okay in some parts but he could not believe the liberties the movie makers took regarding the historical background and meaning of these larger than life figures. Who knew? There are people who know just about everything about these mythical characters. Everything. I would say he needs to get a life but he might well think the same thing if he were to read some of my stuff. Oh yeah. I do know why Batman was all bent out of shape about Superman. I'll give you a hint. It has to do with collateral damage but I will not spill the details for those of you who may end up going to see it.

There's an old story that illustrates the importance of noticing and appreciating the wonderful things that happen in life. A little boy had a lab puppy that he spent most of his free time training to retrieve. He could tell the dog was going to be great. He could hardly wait for duck season to begin. When it finally arrived he took the dog down to their pond and they sat in the blind. In due time, the first string of ducks flew over and the boy raised his shotgun and felled three of them. The lab was straining to get after the ducks so the boy let him go. To the boy's surprise his lab didn't swim out to the ducks but rather he walked on top of the water, fetched the ducks, and returned and laid them at the boy's feet. The boy was stunned. He thought to himself how that no one would believe it if he told them what had happened. What he needed was someone to witness this miraculous talent. He invited his good friend to come with him the next day. They waited and when the ducks flew over they were able to kill a couple. The dog was raring to go. He turned him loose and the dog did exactly what he had done the day before, he walked on the water to fetch the ducks. Once back in the blind the boy turned to his friend and asked what he thought about what he had seen. The boy shook his head and pointed out that he had noticed the dog obviously did not know how to swim. How many times have we observed God's greatness at work around us but yet we found something to criticize?

I may have heard a version of that story as told by the late Jerry Clower, who was a country boy humorist. My favorite of the Clower stories is this one: ~ Newgene Ledbetter, who would get down on his all fours and “play dog,” was known as the “Lyin´ Ledbetter.” “He´d rather climb a pole to tell you a lie than to stand on the ground and tell you the truth. One evening, I was eating supper at the home of Uncle Versey and Aunt Pet Ledbetter and his cousins after a hard day´s work. “All of ´em was there - Ardell, Burnell, Raynell, W.L., Lanell, Odell, Eudell, Marcelle, Claude, Newgene and Clovis.” Newgene looked out in the yard and hollered, “Awwwhhh, there´s a lion in the yard, there´s a lion in the yard and he´s gon´ eat us up!” Turns out it was a “big collie dog and, because it was the hot summertime, somebody had sheared all the hair off of that dog except for a ring around his neck and a patch on his tail.” Uncle Versey Ledbetter wheeled around and slapped Newgene down in the middle of the floor, stood straddle of him and told him to “go out yonder in the side room and get down on yore knees and beg God to forgive you of the sin of lyin´. Go now and do it.” In a little while, Newgene came back and told “Papa” that while he was praying “the Lord talked di-rect-ly back to me.” Blubbering and cautioning his offspring, “Newgene. . . son. . . don´t lie about God,” Uncle Versey asked him if he´d mind “sharin´ with us what the Lord told you.” “Naw, I don´t mind tellin´ you,” said Newgene. “The Lord told me the first time he saw that dog, he thought it was a lion, too.” ~ I've shared that one before but it's been a long time. Well, I've muddled through and I do hope you found something that brought a smile. Have a great day and may God bless each one. Amen. ....More later.